Chair



G. C. GILKISON CHAIR Aug. 11, 1942.

Filed Sept. 4, 1940 '2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 11, 1942. e. c. GILKISON 2,292,331

CHAIR Filed Sept. 4, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.4.

Patented Aug. 11, 1942 CHAIR Grover C. Gilkison, Elyria, Ohio, assignor to The Gilkison Manufacturing 00., Elyria, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application September 4, 1940, Serial No. 355,396

7 Claims.

back are connected to the main supporting frame in a manner such that they may be quickly and easily knocked down or assembled without the use of tools and without removing bolts and like connecting members. Convenience and ease in assembling and disassembling the seat and back frame with respect to the main supporting frame is an important feature in that it reduces the cost of shipping and also materially reduces the cost of assembling the chair at the point of retail distribution, since by removing the seat and back, these parts may be nested into a compact bundle as may also the main supporting frames.

An important object of the present invention therefore is to provide a chair of the all metal type wherein the seat and back may be quickly and easily knocked down for shipping and storage purposes and reassembled in a like manner, to thereby materially reduce the cost of the chair.

Another object is to provide a chair of the knock down type wherein the parts may not only be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled but when in assembled relation provide a firm and stable support having no projections which might catch the clothing of or injure an occupant.

A further object is to provide an all metal chair of the type utilizing a stamped seat and back frame which may be manufactured at a relatively low cost without sacrificing comfort and quality.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent in view of the following description taken in conjunction with the drawings wherein:

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are schematic views illustrating the method of assembly.

Referring to the drawings in detail, one of the main supporting side frames is generally indicated at It and is shown as being made of spring steel bar stock but maybe tubular or any other preferred shape, each side frame comprising a runner or base II, a front upright I 2 and side arm rest I3. The side frames ll may be cross connected and braced by members l4 and I5 which are preferably riveted, welded or otherwise permanently connected to the said frame members. Corner braces l6 may also be used for rendering the structure more rigid at the front of the chair.

The seat and back are preferably made up of sheet metal stampings. The seat is generally indicated at H and has downwardly extending marginal portions "a at the sides and a front downwardly and outwardly curved portion "b. At the point where the front wall "D joins the side Ila the frame is preferably formed with a substantially flat or straight portion II to facilitate insertion in a receiving slot formed in a manner to be described. v

The back of the seat has the edge rolled or curled as at l9, forming part of a hinge joint, the other part being provided by a similar rolled or curled portion I formed on the lower edge of the back.

The back, generally indicated at 2|, has the metal at its marginal portions shaped to provide side walls 20a, and in each of these side walls is an elongated substantially vertical slot 2| adapted to detaehably receive therein a lug 22 which may be suitably connected to, or conceivably formed integrally with, the upper rear end of each arm rest l3. The lug is formed with a neck portion 220., note Fig. 2, so that the lug may be inserted in the slot when in registration therewith and then rotated to locked position.

The joint between the front frame uprights l2 and seat is preferably provided by connecting a lug or bracket 23 to each of the uprights l2, said lug being offset to form an open slot 24 adapted to receive the portion ll of the seat. As will be noted, this connection may be made by simply pressing the seat downwardly to force the portions I! of the seat into the slots 24.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 successively illustrate the I slots 2|, the arms being easily spread to accommodate such insertion. The back is then given a quarter .turn so that it moves to its normal or correct position of use. The seat I1 is then brought into position so that the rolled edges constituting the joints I9, I91: are engaged, and the back is then held steady while the seat is pulled up in a substantially horizontal position and snapped in place in the slots 24.

To disassemble or remove theseat and back from the supporting frame, the front of the seat is first pulled up from the slots 24, then moved rearwardly behind the front cross member l5, whereupon it may be lifted out of its roll lock connection with the back. The back may then be turned to a horizontal position, permitting the lugs 22 to clear their slots 2|.

To ensure a tight connection between the lug 22 and the side walls 204; of the back, the latter is formed with longitudinal indentations or grooves 25 on opposite sides of each of the slots 2|, note Figs. 1 and 2, causing the metal at this point to assume a bevel and conform to the contour of the neck 22a of the lug 22 when the parts are in assembled relation. When the back is rotated from a horizontal position to its normal upright position, the connection automatically tightens, or the parts assume a snug fit due to the particular shape of the metal within the region of the slots. This construction also tends to strengthen the side walls of the back.

It will be noted that no bolts, screws or nuts are involved in the knock down and assembling operations, and hence no tools are required. This renders the task comparatively simple, so that labor costs are practically nil. The advantages of ease in knock down and assembling are not only confined to the manufacture, sale and distribution of chairs of this type, but are also important from the standpoint of use, since it enables a user also to fold and nest the chairs.

It will be noted that the joints are all protected by the framework of the chair, so that there are no protruding parts which would tend to catch the clothing or otherwise annoy an occupant of the chair. I

It will be understood that certain changes in construction and design of the improved chair may be adopted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A metal chair comprising side supporting frames having base portions, front uprights and arm rests, a; seat and back formed of sheet metal, the back having the marginal portions thereof shaped to provide side flanges, said side flanges having elongated slots therein and said arm rests being provided with lugs adapted to register with and engage in said slots when the back is in a position at an angle to its normal position of use and become locked in the slots when the back is rotated to normal position of use, means pivotally and releasably suspending the seat from the back frame, and means carried by said uprights providing a detachable connection for said seat.

2. A chair comprisingmain supporting frames, one at each side of the chair, each frame including a base portion or runner, a front upright and an arm rest, a seat and back, formed of sheet metal, the metal at opposite sides of the back being formed with elongated slots extending substantially longitudinally of the back and the arm rests being provided with lugs adapted to register with said slots when the back is turned at an angle to its normal upright position and to lock in said slots when the back is returned to its normal upright position,- means carried by the front uprights of the frame members-providing in conjunction with said uprights upwardly opening recesses and the metal at the front of the seat being shaped to engage in said recesses, the lower portion of the backand the rear portion of the seat being shaped to provide inter-engaging joint members pivotally and releasably suspending the seat from the back, whereby the seat and backmay be removed from the frame members by raising the seat clear of said recesses and swinging the back at an angle to its normal upright position and the seat and back then separated one from the other.

3. A chair comprising side supporting frames each having a base portion or rimner, a front upright and an arm rest, a seat and back formed of sheet metal with outwardly facing side walls. the opposed side walls of the back each being formed with an elongated slot extending substantially longitudinally of the back and said arm rests each having a lug member shaped to engage in said slots when the back is turned at an angle from its normal upright position and to lock in said slots when the back is returned to its normal upright position, the front uprights of the supporting frame each having connected thereto a member defining in conjunction with the upright a vertically open recess and the metal at the front of the seat being shaped to engage in said recess to releasably support the front of the seat on said upright, the marginal metal at the base of the back and the rear end of the seat being shaped to provide a. releasable pivoted suspension joint between the seat and back, whereby the seat and back may be removed from the supporting frame without the use of tools by raising the front of the seat clear of said recesses and then swinging'the back at an angle to its normal upright position to release said lugs or bosses from said slots.

4. An all metal chair comprising resilient main supporting frame members, one at each side of the chair, each frame member including a base portion or runner, a front upright portion and an arm rest portion, a seat and back formed of pressed sheet metal with the metal at the margins thereof shaped to provide outwardly facing side walls, the opposed side walls of the back each being formed with an elongated slot extend-.

ing longitudinally thereof and said arm rest each having connected thereto an elongated lug having a neck portion, the lugs registering with said slot when the back is turned at an angle to its normal upright position and locking in said slots when the back is rotated to its normal upright position, the front uprights each having connected thereto a member defining in conjunction with its upright avertically open recess and the front wall of the seat being formed with portions adapted to engage in said recesses to releasably support the front of the seat on said uprights, the metal of the seat between said recess engaging portions being bent arcuately outwardly beyond the plane of the uprights, the metal at the lower edge of the back and the rear end of the seat being curled to provide a releasable pivoted suspension joint between the seat and back, the seat and back being removable from the supporting frame by raising the front of the seat clear of said recesses and then swinging the back at an angle to its normal upright position to release said lugs or bosses from said slots.

5. A metal chair comprising side supporting frames each having a base portion, a front upright and an arm rest, a seat and back formed of sheet metal, the back having the marginal portions thereof shaped to provide side walls, said side walls having elongated slots therein extending longitudinally of the back and said arm rests being provided with lugs adapted to register with and engage in said slots when the back is in a position at an angle to its normal upright position of use and become locked in the slots when the back is rotated to normal position of use, the metal on opposite sides of said slots being formed with longitudinal depressions or grooves to cause the metal to conform to the shape of and tightly engage the lugs when the back is rotated to its position of use and to also strengthen the metal, means pivotally and releasably suspending the seat from the back frame, and means carried'by said uprights providing a detachable connection for said seat.

6. A chair comprising a supporting frame structure including runners, front uprights and arm rests, a sheet metal seat and back carried by the frame structure, coacting means at the lower portion of the back and the rear portion of the seat providing a releasable joint connection therebetween and whereby the seat is pivotally suspended at its rear from the back, the back being provided with side members having elongated slots therein and said arm rests being provided with lugs adapted to register with and engage in said slots when the back is in a position at an angle to its normal position of use and become locked in the slots when the back is rotated to normal position of use, and means carried by said uprights providing a detachable connection for thefront of the seat.

7. A chair comprising a supporting frame structure including front uprights and arm rests, a sheet metal seat and back carried by the frame structure, the lower portion of the back and the rear portion of the seat each being shaped to provide integral members engageable for relative rotation to provide a hinge joint and releasably suspending the seat from the back when engaged, the back having means at opposite sides thereof coacting with means carried by the arm rests providing a connection between the back and arm rests releasable through relative angular movement of the back with respect to said rests, means on the front uprights providing therewith upwardly opening recesses, the metal at the front of the seat being shaped to engage in said recesses, whereby the seat and back may be removed from the main frame structure by raising the front of the seat clear of said recesses and turning the back at an angle to its normal upright position and the seat and back then separated one from the other.

GROVER c.G'1LKIsoN. 

